So many questions so little time
by sammansen
Summary: alternate ending to S5 E10. Morgana finds Merlin on the roof of the watch tower and decides to keep him alive to see what he knows about emrys. When Merlin wakes up he finds himself in the company of a young witch, but who is she? my first OC!
1. On the roof

Morgana POV

"There's nowhere to run." I said triumphantly.

Fina knows who Emrys is she had told her Master she had found him, he wasn't here but she knew where he is.

"I will never tell you, and hopefully you will never know who he is." Fina said drawing her sword.

"Do you really think you can kill me with that?" I asked her with a chuckle.

"No, I have this for a different reason." She said then plunged the sword into her chest.

_NO! Another dead-end. _

"Clean her wounds then burn the body." I instructed the men who had been helping me track her.

I walked around the room was full of shelves that had some stuff on it. There was a door leading to another staircase. I started walking towards it when something stopped me.

"My lady! Come see this." A man said.

"This better be good, I don't like wasting time over dead people." I said walking back towards where Fina lay.

"You said she had been hit, the only wound she has is from the sword." He informed me.

I turned the body over looking for a trace of the wound that had left blood at the campsite.

"Looks like she wasn't alone. Let's keep going there's another staircase." I commanded.

"But what about t-

"FORGET THE BODY!" I yelled then calmed down. "Emrys could be up those stairs getting away as we speak."

He decided it best not to argue with me. We ran up the last short flight of stairs onto the roof of the abandoned watch tower.

"There!" He shouted pointing to a figure laid on the ground.

I walked closer the moon light helped a bit in seeing what they looked like. I moved a bit closer and realized who it was.

"Merlin!"


	2. taken by a stranger to your own home

I drew my sword and was about to kill him when I heard.

"Wait! He could know about emrys he was with Fina." One of the men said. "He could know something. He doesn't have the training of a Catha."

I wanted to yell at him for disagreeing with my judgment, but he was right Merlin could know something, and wouldn't be able to stand the torture the way Alator did.

"Fine, gag him and bring him with us." I ordered.

Merlin POV

Fina had stayed behind to distract Morgana, I was on the floor and in extreme pain.

"O' Drago- I couldn't say another word, I had blacked out.

When I woke up I was staring at a ceiling. Immediately I sat up.

"Where am I? What happened?" I asked.

_Wait this is the shack I told Arthur Emrys lived in._

"You should rest; you were wounded so I brought you somewhere decent to heal." Said a girl.

She was at the fire cooking something. She was tall, with short black hair and blue eyes.

"Who are you?" I asked the strange girl, after all she was in MY shack.

The girl paused at this question, as if she didn't know if she should answer, but calmed down a bit.

"Lilith." She said "My question is who are you and what were you doing at the top of the watch tower."

I didn't know how to answer, she asked questions I was going to ask myself.

"My name is Merlin." I answered.

The girl took the pot of the fire.

"You still haven't answered the other question." She pointed out.

She was quite pushy. I decided to lie, it normally works.

"I was looking for herbs when I met an old lady, she told me she was waiting for a man, named Emrys. I was talking to her when we were attacked by some men working for morgana, she used magic to defeat them but in the process I was shot." I paused the story.

My wound was gone not even a scar.

"What happened to my wound?" I asked her.

"I now some spells that help with injuries like that." She told me "Please continue." She said.

"Fina knew about the watch tower, said that when you're hunted constantly you know all the places to hide. We kept climbing up the stairs but we knew we would be caught. She told me to keep climbing because Morgana only expected her, and with that she asked for my sword. I gave it to her and headed towards the roof. The last I can remember was staring at the moon."

"That's…. Interesting."


	3. A talk over some breakfast

Lilith POV

Merlin had told me the story of why he was at the top of the watch tower, but I'm not sure I believe him.

"So what were you doing up there?" He asked after gulping a spoonful of the soup I gave him.

"Uhh… It's kind of silly, Billy, Miranda, Marida, joey and I were playing at a stream near the tower, then Billy told us the tower was haunted and he dared each and every one of us to climb to the top. Joey and Billy stayed at the bottom while Merida, Miranda, and I climbed the first flight of stairs, nothing was wrong with the place and it didn't seem haunted so we continued up the second flight. When we entered the room we found a dead lady lying there on the floor, Merida, and Miranda chickened out and ran back to Billy and joey, I on the other hand wanted to prove I was braver then them all and climbed the last flight of stairs. The breeze was nice, and the sun brought warmth, it was amazing. I looked over the edge and saw them; they were just standing there staring up at me in awe. 'I'm the bravest!' I shouted 'And don't you forget it!' but then over the breeze I heard you groan I hadn't noticed you before because I mostly staring at the sky." I said.

"So where are they?" he asked.

"I didn't tell them I came and got you during the night, I brought you here to help you without mom knowing." I answered.

Merlin looked at as if I was hiding something and he had to find out what.

"Why wouldn't you want your mom to know about me." He asked.

_Should I answer? I could act like he's being nosey, or I could change the topic._

I decided to tell him.

"My mom doesn't know." I said.

"Yes she doesn't know about me, I got that." He replied.

"No, she doesn't know I have magic."


	4. Can't leave

Merlin POV

Thanks for the soup but Arthur will worry about me. I turn to get up when I hear.

"NO!" she yelled.

But it was too late I had already fallen on my face.

"Why can't my legs support me?" I asked her.

She shifted a bit in her chair.

"I don't have access to many spell books, I mean I have spell books but when I found you, you were in a horrible condition and I didn't have time to search for a better spell. On the bright side it will wear off, but you will have to stay here for a few days."

I sighed at the words she said.

"Can you help me up?" I asked pushing myself up with my hands.

Lilith came over and picked me up just enough to get on the bed. _Great I can't go anywhere and I'm stuck with a 13 year old, what could go wrong?_

XxX

2 Days later….

Arthur POV

"Last any one saw him he was here." I said pointing to a bridge on the map. "I want a patrol scouting this area."

The knights looked up at me.

"Sire, if we haven't found him so far, what makes you think he's over there?" Leon asked.

"I said scout, as in look for signs of Merlin. What did you find at the camp Mordrid found?"

Leon sighed.

"We found men who were dead, no wounds. And….. traces of blood, whoever was fighting most have been hit." Gwaine said.

_Does that help?_

"Hit with what?" I asked.

"A crossbow sire, we found a arrow around 50 ft from there with blood on it." Leon replied.

"Well then, maybe they continued, search for any signs of the person that could have been the sorcerer we were searching for." I commanded.

The knights left, all except Mordrid.

"I'm so sorry, this is my fault, I was the one who let him go." He said.

"It wasn't you're fault, so close to Camelot no one normally goes missing from there." I tried reassuring him.

"Arthur I messed up, I didn't escort him to the bridge, I let him go look for herbs."


	5. Stuck in bed

"Well, thanks for saying that after I've sent them!" I yelled at Mordrid. "Go join them before they go without you."

"Sorry." He said again and left.

_We might be able to find merlin now._

XxX

Merlin POV

By now I was brimming with questions, but last time I asked to many and she broke down.

"Lilith?" I said "If your mom doesn't know you're here, won't she be looking for you?" I asked.

Lilith looked down. She was kind of shifty after the question.

"I lied. I don't have a family, or friends, I've lived in this shack for six months, and….. I found you here after a walk in the woods. You were lying on the bed hardly breathing and there was a note on the table, It was addressed to you but I opened it." She said.

She handed me a note that was filled with script.

Dear… well whatever your name is.

I found you on the roof of the watch tower, you were dying and your friend had died so I brought you here I will be back soon with some herbs to help, this note is in case you wake up while I'm gone.

Hope you're alive when I get back.

"But how did you know Fina was on the third floor." I asked.

Lilith looked ashamed of something.

"There's a spell I know that allows you to see someone else's memories. I don't know who left you here, but they probably came back and realized I lived here." She said.

"How far did you see?" I asked.

"When you gave her the sword." She said.

_She might not know!_

Lilith POV

"So…. What do you do for fun?" I asked him.

He looked at me, leaned in and said

'Don't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you." He said.

I leaned in and nodded.

"I like making Arthur rats for lunch." Merlin said as he started laughing.

I could tell merlin was joking.

"So when am I supposed to be able to walk again?" He asked.

I felt so guilty.

"A week, give or take." I said.

Merlin looked annoyed.

"You said a few days."

"A week give or take a few days." I said "That's what the spell book said. I'm sorry but you won't be able to stand till then."


	6. A Catha's Diary

Mordrid POV

_I'm such an idiot; I should never have let Merlin go._

"I've found something!" I heard Gwaine call.

I rushed over to see what he had found.

"What is it?" I asked "a trail?"

"Pretty unusual trail." He said pointing to a burn mark on a tree.

"Come on we're almost to the camp, I thought you had found something that may lead us to Merlin." I said.

"Well at least it isn't my fault he's missing in the first place." Gwaine retorted.

Gwaine POV

_I can't believe mordrid would lie about this, what is he hiding if he just let Merlin walk off like that._ It makes me wonder. _What did merlin walk off to do?_

"How could you just let Merlin go wondering off in the woods in the middle of the night?" I asked him.

"Well how was I supposed to know he'd go missing."

"Esay Mer- Percival interrupted

"ENOUGH!" he yelled "If you had been listening you would have heard that I found something…. Else" he said.

Percival POV

_Sometimes they act like kids, seriously it isn't anyone's fault Merlin's missing._

"I found the ruins of another camp." I said "There is some stuff that might interest you."

They took a look around the mess.

"This writing, its Catha." Mordrid said.

Gwaine smirked and said.

"And how would you know that?"

"I was tough the language when I was a boy, some of the druids believed it to be a useful skill. I never thought it would be put to use." He said.

"Well I knew you were a druid, just not a nerd." Gwaine said with a chuckle.

"What does it say?" Leon asked him.

"It's a diary, the man was running. It's signed Alitor."

Gwaine gasped.

"Isn't that the name of the man who kidnapped Gaius?" he asked.

"He's one of the most feared and wanted torturers." Leon pointed out.

"What was he doing?" I asked.

Mordrid looked up from the parchment shocked.

"He was running, from Morgana." Mordrid said.

"Why would he do that?" Leon asked.

"Morgana, hired him to kidnap Gaius, maybe she didn't think it was a fair deal." Gwaine added.

"No, it talks about a sorcerer named Emrys, it says:

Morgana almost had me last night. I think she still hopes I will tell her the whereabouts of Emrys, as I didn't tell her as Gaius had told me. If she catches me she I will never tell her or Camelot and Albion are doomed.

That's the last bit of it." Mordrid said.

"Technically, I was right it did have something to do with their deal." Gwaine said.

Leon gave him 'the look' It's what Leon does to signal to Gwaine to stop joking.

"Well, we have to tell Arthur he'll want to know."


	7. A meeting that didn't go as planned

Arthur POV

"Morgana could have found Merlin and taken him?" Percival suggested.

"Possibly, I want you to look again." I told them. "You shall leave immediately, and gwaine."

Gwaine looked back.

"Bring me Gaius." I said.

The knights left, and I left me wondering if they'd find him, last time he was gone this long he told me morgana had poisoned him. I kept pacing, where could he have gone. Suddenly the door swung open.

"You wanted to see me sire?" Gaius said.

I stood up, a little angry with Gaius.

"You lied to me." I said.

"In what way?" He replied

"You told me the information Morgana wanted was about Camelot's strengths and weaknesses." I said sternly.

"Emrys is Camelot's greatest strength, without him Camelot would fall." Gaius said.

"You mean to tell me the only thing protecting us from morgana is a Sorcerer."

"Your knights do help a lot, but yes. He's saved your life at least a hundred times by now. Without him you would have died a few days after he arrived in Camelot."

_This is nuts! Gaius is telling me the only reason I'm alive is because of a sorcerer._

"So he's been around for a while?" I asked.

"Yes."

"I'll head over to his hut, I have to ask him to help us find Merlin."

_Even though he was present when my father died I can't stand to lose Merlin._

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." He said.

"And why not?" I asked a little frustrated.

"I'm afraid to say he's gone missing."

This was getting agitating.

"Well maybe he's come back since you last saw him." I yelled.

_Gaius POV_

I was getting frustrated, normally I can hide it but it just came out.

"Merlin IS emrys." I yelled.

Immediately I put my hands over my mouth.

"WHAT!"


	8. Chapter 8

Arthur POV

I just found out my best friend is a sorcerer who's apparently saved Camelot many times and my first thought is: _In retrospect, it was obvious._

"How long have you known?" I asked Gaius.

Gaius paused but then answered.

"The day he came to Camelot." He said.

So much came to mind, so many questions I didn't know where to start.

"So…. Why does morgana want him dead?" I asked.

"Cause he is destined to protect you, If he weren't here you would die and Camelot would fall." He replied. "He has won too many times for her liking."

"We have to find him." I said. "Tell Guinevere I've gone hunting."

Gaius looked at me suspiciously.

"Why do you wish her not to know?" He asked.

I looked back at him.

"Please just don't tell her."

Merlin POV

"I can feel my legs." I said.

Lilith smiled.

"That's good!" She exclaimed.

I felt a surge of pain.

"No it's not, it hurts… Bad." I told her.

Lilith shrunk.

"I have never used this spell before, it's probably my fault." She said.

She stood up walking towards the fireplace, almost tripping over her dress. She batted off the dust that had lain on the velvet of her dress. She giggle then grabbed a pot. She grabbed her satchel and rummaged through it grabbing ingredient after ingredient, and adding some to the pot.

"What are you doing?" I asked "and where did you get the ingredients?"

"Oh.." she said turning around to look at me. "I'm brewing a potion that gives relief, mostly for pain. And my parents had many potion ingredients when they were alive, I packed it all in here." She pated her bag.

"Who where your parents?" I asked.

She stood up and spooned some of the potion into a cup walking over towards me.

"I'd rather not talk about it." She said gloomily "Now drink this, it should make your legs feel better."

I was about to drink it.

"Wait!" She said grabbing it from me. "Sorry I forgot that it needs magic."

She grabbed a book from her bag and flipped through it, till she landed on a page and stopped.

"E'alt stwaine ic'ta" she said.

The potion bubbled and I drank, the pain stopped instantly. But something was off about Lilith.

When she had finished the spell her eyes instead of turning a bright gold they shrouded with what looked like white mist.


	9. back from the garden

There were so many questions I wanted to ask her, but every time I did the answer gave me more questions so I just stopped asking them.

"I'm going to try standing." I told her.

I moved my legs over the side of the bed, got a good grip on the bed frame and… pushed myself onto the wood floor. I could keep myself up but walking was a totally different matter.

"Here take this!" she said handing me what looked like the staff of a she.

I looked at it curiously.

"Where did you get this?" I asked.

"It found it yesterday, in the garden." She said as innocently as she could.

I looked at her and then remembered bringing it here, but did I place it in the garden? I used the staff to brace myself, then (believe it or not.) walked.

"This is better." I informed her. "Thank you."

She blushed really badly.

"You're welcome. If you don't mind I have to go tend to the garden." She said.

She headed out the back door to the garden she had been tending to once a day. I sat down and waited. There wasn't much to do I normally had her to talk to. I grabbed her bag and looked inside, it was empty. I reached into the bag and…. I felt something, I grabbed it. When I pulled my hand out I saw it held a book that didn't have a title. _That was weird, yet cool. _The staff looked better than it had before. It was polished and….. the writing was different. _Impossible, the writing is completely different, this isn't even the same language._

"LILITH!" I called. "Come here!"

"Uh… okay." She said.

Lilith walked in with a worried expression. And then I saw why, behind her was morgana who had a knife against Lilith's side.


	10. running from a mad sorceress

Gaius POV

Arthur was a bit mad at me so I followed a few feet behind. We were half way down the stairs when Arthur slipped and fell unconscious.

"Arthur!" I said running down towards him.

When I got to him I noticed he was bleeding severely.

XxX

Lilith POV

It's annoying being held as a hostige.

"You know who he is don't you." Morgana said to merlin. "If you don't tell me I'll kill her."

Merlin shifted a bit as if trying to think of a way out.

"_Merlin, Close your eyes until I say you can open them, I have a plan!" _I said without saying a word.

Merlin heard my little mind message cause a second later he closed his eyes. I started reciting a spell under my breath.

"kian el'ma ju'gien pa- I felt a jab in my left side morgana had stabbed me- Lusos" I finished.

After the words came a bright light, I heard Morgana fall unconscious behind me.

Merlin POV

When I opened my eyes Morgana was on the ground and Lilith was bleeding.

"Your hurt." I said.

"It doesn't matter, now hand me the staff, she'll wake any minute." She said.

I stood up, I could walk again without falling. I grabbed the staff and the book and handed it to her. She grabbed them and stuffed them in her bag.

"Take this." She said handing me the satchel "Out the door. We have to go." She said pointing towards the curtain.

We ran out of the house and into the forest. With the bag slung over my shoulder and Lilith holding onto my arm we ran. We had been running for five minutes when she stopped.

"I can't go any further." She said. "Any minute now Morgana will wake up, I'll stall her you go ahead."

I starred at her as if she were crazy.

"No, I can't just leave you." I protested.

"I'll be okay." She said "I've lived on my own for five months, I can take care of morgana."

I don't know why but I let her go back. I turned and run towards Camelot, not even looking back towards Lilith.


	11. Finding Friends

Mordrid POV

Gwaine kept teasing me about letting him go, it's not like I can say 'Merlin is a powerful sorcerer who can take care of himself.'

"Mordrid, what kind of herbs was he looking for?" Gwaine asked.

I thought about it, but I couldn't name one so I just answered with the normal.

"I don't know, he didn't tell me." I said.

The horses slowed a bit to eat. _Come on. _

"Let's let them eat." Leon suggested.

Percival sighed.

"The watch tower was a dead end, no pun intended." Gwaine said.

"With you the pun is always intended." Percival teased.

"And? There has to be some jokes around hear otherwise Camelot would be a very boring city." Gwaine added.

"Well you don't have to tell them whe- Leon cut me off.

"Do you guys hear that?" he whispered as he dismounted his horse "I think someone's listening to us."

Leon pulled his sword out and pointed it at a tree.

"Show yourself!" he commanded.

A man came out from behind the tree hand raised.

"_Merlin it's us!" _I told him.

Merlin lowered his hand and Leon did the same with his sword. Merlin leaned in and hugged Leon.

"I've missed you." He said.

"Where were you Arthur was really worried." Gwaine said.

Merlin shifted in his spot a bit as if trying to find out how to answer.

"I'll tell you about it on the ride home." He said.

Merlin POV

Mordrid let me ride with him.

"I was shot by Morgana's men, she was searching for the same sorceress we were, why? I'll never know." I lied.

"We might." Percival added. "We found the diary of the man morgana had been chasing through the woods, turns out you were right those markings on the trees were a result of sorcery. As far as we can tell Morgana was after information Alitor had, but being a Catha he probably didn't tell her, the diary also spoke of a servant, an old sorceress Morgana finds out about her and comes looking for her." He finished.

"And when did you have the time to piece that together?" I asked.

"Were you asleep the whole time? You were gone for days!" Gwaine said. "Where did you get shot?"

"Not now." I answered.

Gwaine got on evil smirk on his face.

"Tell us the rest of the story, or we'll tell Arthur you were in the tavern again." He said.

The rest of the knights were looking at me expectantly.

"I was with the sorceress when we attacked at the time I didn't know it was her. After I was shot she helped me to the watch tower cause she figured Morgana only needed her alive. We climbed several flights of stair- Gwaine interrupted

"Your still not telling us where you got shot." He said.

"I'm getting to it!" I said "she told me to go to the roof so that Morgana wouldn't find me, because morgana was only expecting her. All I can remember on the watch tower after that was collapsing. I woke up in a small shack, my wounds were healed, and there was a girl there, living on her own, she helped me as I couldn't move my legs. And the last time I saw her we were running from Morgana." I said.

Gwaine shifted in his saddle.

"Your gone four days and you come back from being shot with a arrow meeting a soreceress, running into morgana and being taken care of by a girl, how old?" he asked.

"Thirteen." I answered.

"It doesn't really matter we have him back." Leon added "You've missed a bit in Camelot too. Arthur before we left said he was going to lift the law on magic."


	12. awake

Arthur POV

I woke up in a dark place, but it slowly began to light itself. The walls glittered with crystal poking out of it.

"_Arthur….. Arthur…"_ I heard.

I looked around, no one was there.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" I commanded.

There was no answer. I walked but the only thing I could see was the crystal covered walls then something happened to them instead of the bright glow it was replaced by a scatter of images, a girl was with merlin on a picnic blanket, Merlin was wearing his best clothes he was unconscious the girl was checking to see if he was alive then see stood up and walked away I didn't see her face. The next image came onto the crystal, Morgana was in my room, she had a candle in her hand, and then Merlin came bursting into the room. Suddenly the crystal went blank.

"_Arthur, it's just a dream!" _I heard a familiar voice.

I woke up screaming.

"What happened?" I asked Gaius.

He looked at Merlin then back at me.

"You were screaming, something about Merlin." He said.

"It was a bad dream. When did merlin get here?" I asked.

"Yesterday." Gaius said worried. "Don't you remember talking with him?"

I shook my head.

"Everything's a blur. Last thing I remember I was talking to Mordred, Merlin had gone missing and he was apologizing for something." I said.

"You don't remember talking about Emrys?" Gaius said.

I was confused.

"Really, what does anything right now have to do with him?" I said.

"You should get some more rest." Gaius told me.

Merlin POV

Gaius put a plate down in front of me at the table.

"Is the story you told the knights true, or was that to get them off your back?" Gaius asked me.

I scoffed.

"I am offended! It was true…. Mostly." I answered.

"With you I'm never sure." Gaius gave a slight laugh. "What was the girl like?"

"Like no sorceress, I've ever seen, her eyes, you know how a sorceress eyes burn gold after a spell?" I asked.

Gaius nodded.

"It was like nothing I've ever seen, her eyes turned white. Have you ever heard of anything like that?"

Gaius looked at me curiously.

"Never." He said.

We sat there in silence for a bit. Then Gaius reached for our plates.

"Merlin?" he said "Is that new?" he said pointing towards the bag over my shoulder.

I looked at it.

"This is her bag, I forgot I even had it." I said.

I put the bag on the table.

"It's weird watch this." I told him.

I reached into the satchel and pulled out a book. Gaius gasped.

"Merlin do you know what that is?" He said pointing to the mark on the book.

I shook my head. Gaius grabbed the book and opened it.

"It is as I thought, this is Claire Cordane's diary." He said. "It was at the isle of the blessed for a while but it vanished, the high priestesses may have had powerful magic but this, this holds wisdom not many have gotten their hands on. Do you have any idea how she got this?"

"No, I think the bags enchanted to hold a lot of stuff, I've pulled out several things and put them back in but it seems as if there's nothing there."

"The Cordane's were a royal family of sorcerers but Claire was the last sorceress in the whole line, the Cordane's are still a royal family but they haven't have had magic in eight generations. It's said that Claire was looking for a way to give someone who wasn't born with magic to have the gift, as if she knew the line was going to end. You must be careful with this, in the wrong hands nothing could stop them."


	13. Back to work

Merlin POV

There I was helping Arthur with his armor for the first time in several days, it was actually relaxing to be Arthur's servant again.

"I missed you." He said.

I smiled.

"I actually met someone who made me miss things like this." I replied.

I finished up getting the stuff on him. He turned to face me.

"Ever leave me for the tavern again and I will have you flogged." He said.

There was only one thought in my mind: _GWAINE!_

**The End.**


	14. sequel

I have a sequel! its called treaty and treachery! please take a look.

sammansen


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